Riot Games Transitioning Valorant to Unreal Engine 5, Potential for Limited Upgrade

Valorant, the popular competitive shooter developed by Riot Games, is set for an exciting engine upgrade. The studio revealed during Unreal Feast 2024 that this free-to-play live service game will transition to Unreal Engine 5, with hints at future projects within the same universe.

Anna Donlon, the Senior Vice President and Head of Valorant development teams, presented the new engine upgrade during the event. Since its initial launch over four years ago, this first-person shooter has been operating on Unreal Engine 4 (specifically version 4.27).

“We have squeezed literally every ounce of everything we could get out of Unreal Engine 4, so now we make the move to UE5, and that is not an easy feat when your game is a live service game, but it is necessary,”stated Donlon.

However, she also tempered fans’ expectations regarding potential graphical or performance enhancements in the immediate future. Donlon noted that “this upgrade is not going to significantly change how Valorant looks or performs, at least not right away.”

Unfortunately, fans are left without a release date for Valorant’s transition to Unreal Engine 5, but it has been confirmed that the work is actively progressing.

Anna Donlon announced #VALORANT will be switching to Unreal Engine 5 👀! pic.twitter.com/WQlddIcJ9r

— VALORANT Leaks & News (@VALORANTLeaksEN) October 2, 2024

Additionally, Donlon teased Valorant enthusiasts about upcoming experiences, mentioning that Riot is “very excited about what UE5 can do for us in the future.”The studio appears to be exploring ways to enrich the Valorant universe, aiming to provide “new playable experiences.”

While specific details weren’t disclosed, speculation among the fanbase suggests possibilities of single-player or cooperative missions to build upon the lore, or even exploring different genres, such as an extraction shooter.

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